In a large soup pot, heat olive oil, add onion, sauté until soft, add garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Stir together for about a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add diced tomatoes with their juice and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly.

Add lentils and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Continue to simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, until the lentils have fallen apart and thickened the soup. Add black pepper to taste, and/or a pinch of cayenne if you want more spice. Stir in lemon or lime juice.

You can puree with an immersion blender or just enjoy as is. You can add a dollop of yogurt and a generous sprinkling of chopped cilantro when you serve in bowls.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting one of my biggest inspiration, Alice Waters. For those of you who don’t know, Alice Waters pioneered the California Cuisine movement in the early 1970s, emphasizing the use of fresh and locally sourced ingredients and integrating them into healthy and flavorful dishes.

When I decided to start Lajollacooks4u ten years ago, I wanted to shine light on the importance on how eating healthy does not have to be boring. I drew from Alice and her famed restaurant, Chez Panisse, located in Berkeley, California. Going off of Alice’s farm-to-table movement, my husband and I decided to turn part of our backyard into a sustaining garden. We now plant and grow beautiful seasonal fruits and vegetables such as swiss chard, artichokes, cilantro, sage, carrots, strawberries, avocados, passion fruits and more.

With our garden in full bloom, cooking with our home grown produce elevated my dishes with fresh flavor and texture. I knew that what was happening in my garden and in my kitchen was something that had to be share. Thus, Lajollacooks4u was born!

When I met with Alice this past Sunday at San Diego’s famous Chino Farms, I expressed to Alice how much the California Cuisine movement meant to me. Alice and I swapped books (the Lajollacooks4u California Cuisine cookbook and Alice Water’s newest novel, Coming to my Senses) and discussed our love of healthy and organic food.

You’ve made the New Year’s Resolution to cook more and eat out less but implementing your resolution is harder than you thought, right? We won’t lie to you, going from eating out most of the week to preparing full meals is a big adjustment – if only there was an easier way to get into cooking. Well, Julie Simonton, of Modesto, California, came up with a perfect solution to ease into cooking at home by starting a cookbook cooking club!

Once a month, Simonton and her cookbook club, MoCoBo, each dedicate themselves to making one dish from the “cookbook of the month”. For the month of January, MoCoBo decided to cook exclusively from LaJollaCooks4u’s famed cookbook California Cuisine. Simonton and her club whipped one one healthy and well-rounded dinner using Chef Jodi’s easy-to-make recipes!

Cooking with friends is a great way to start getting in the kitchen because it cuts down prep time, cooking time and cleanup! Not to mention, it is such a gift to be able to break bread with others. So, next time you’re hesitant to get in the kitchen, take a page out of MoCoBo’s book and implement a cookbook club!

*This tahini sauce is so delicious and flexible that you’ll want to pour it over everything! This new sauce also pairs well with eggplant, lentils and warm winter salads. You can also smear the tahini sauce over salmon and roast, the possibilities are endless as it’s a wonderful mouthful of flavor….

Here at Lajollacooks4u, we host a ton of birthday celebrations. But did you know, we can also bring the party to you?

That’s exactly what we did for the O’Brien/Lutz family, where Chef Jodi traveled down to Ocean Beach to host an 8-person birthday celebration for mother-in-law, Sheryl Lutz. Together, the group of six adults and two kids journeyed to Catalina Offshore and selected a locally cut Sea Bass and Bluefin Tuna. Later, once back at the house, all family members (even the kids!) rolled up their sleeves and prepared a Grilled Sea Bass in Ginger-Yogurt Sauce, along with a fresh Tuna Tartare. To top off this special evening, the family whipped up a delicious Peach Crisp for dessert – using the peaches growing from the trees outside!

Says Sheryl, “This is one of the best nights of my life. I will remember this forever!”

Are you looking for a special way to celebrate your birthday? Book your next birthday celebration with us! Contact [email protected] for more information.

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Meet Jodi Abel

Jodi Abel is a self-taught chef, author and team building expert, residing in La Jolla, California. When she’s not sharing her love of food with her guests at Lajollacooks4u, she’s cooking her way around the world to bring exciting new farm-to-table recipes home to California.
To learn more about Lajollacooks4u, visit www.Lajollacooks4u.com.

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Testimonials

"Jodi and her team are amazing! First, I showed up expecting to have to help and she insisted I enjoy myself and let her team handle all the details. They way they handled everything from determining teams, to the activity itself, to the judging, this was beyond my expectations. I HIGHLY recommend LaJollaCooks4u to anyone looking for a unique and memorable experience." - Jenni Hasti, Tritech

"Best cooking class we have ever attended! I learned some great cooking tips, consumed some lovely wines and shared a delightful meal all the superb guidance of Chef Jodi and her amazing, wonderful staff!"
- Karen & Scott Stone, Coldwell Banker